Florida opens Week 1 with a passing-game problem that should get the Gators’ new-look defense’s attention right away.
Florida Atlantic brings back quarterback Caden Veltkamp, and that alone makes the Owls dangerous. The offense averaged 340.2 passing yards per game last season, and Veltkamp is coming off a year in which he threw for over 3,600 yards in 2025. FAU finished 4-8 in Zach Kittley’s first season, but the numbers behind the record tell a different story: the Owls led the FBS in passing yards, piled up 444.2 total yards per game and scored 29.5 points a night.
Veltkamp was accurate, too, completing 67% of his passes as a junior. A big reason was Easton Messer, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound receiver from Louisville, Kentucky, who became his favorite target. Messer led the nation with 8.67 receptions per game and closed the season with 104 catches and over 1,000 yards.
That passing firepower is exactly what will challenge Brad White’s defense in its first game under the new coordinator. Florida’s secondary is trying to move on from a 2025 season in which the group was too inconsistent, failed to force enough turnovers and allowed too many completions.
The Gators added veteran transfers DJ Coleman, a free safety from Baylor, and Kanye Clark at nickelback to help steady the back end. Redshirt freshman Ben Hanks III is another player to watch; the former five-star recruit appeared in just three games last season but is projected to start and take on a major role.
FAU’s offense can also be loose with the football. The Owls threw 20 interceptions and committed 29 turnovers in 2025, and those mistakes were a big part of why they finished 10th in the American. Their defense was just as leaky, giving up 36.3 points and 436.5 yards per game.
That should give Florida a chance to get Jadan Baugh going on the ground. FAU allowed 201.3 rushing yards per game last season, and with the trio of Florida rushers expected to play in Week 1, Buster Faulkner’s unit has a favorable setup.
The Gators and Owls kick off at 7:45 p.m. ET Saturday on SEC Network.
In Other News...
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A recent Vanity Fair piece also revisited concerns about Kiffins behavior during his Alabama tenure, adding another layer to the reputation that has followed him for years. Florida passed on pursuing him as its head coach in 2021 in part because of those kinds of questions, and the latest round of headlines makes that decision look different in hindsight. Whether that will matter in the long run is another matter, but it is hard to ignore how much baggage has come back into view. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger picture now is what comes next, because Lagway is expected to open the 2026 season healthy with Baylor. For Florida fans, that makes the story of his 2025 struggles feel less like a postmortem and more like context for how much he was asked to handle behind the scenes. The numbers were uneven, but the season was about more than turnovers and passing totals, and that is the part that may stick with those around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Whites Florida Defense Is Starting To Raise A Big 2026 Question
Brad White has not laid out the full blueprint for Floridas 2026 defense yet, but he has made one thing clear: the Gators are heading toward a multiple-front look built around flexibility in personnel. That alone is enough to spark interest in Gainesville, especially with White bringing a track record from Kentucky that was defined by safe zone coverage and a strong front four, with results that could be uneven when the competition stepped up. For Florida, the appeal is obvious if the scheme can match the roster, and the staff appears to believe this version of the defense will be different for more than one reason.
The bigger question now is how much of Whites old identity follows him to Florida and how much gets left behind. Kentuckys formula fit some opponents well enough, but Floridas coaching staff seems to view this as a chance to build something less rigid and more tailored to the players on hand. If the Gators are going to get where they want on defense, the answer may not just be about fronts and coverage calls, but whether White is willing to lean into a philosophy that looks noticeably unlike the one he used before. [Read more 🡒]